


Beautiful and Bright

by failing_at_fangirling



Category: Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Light Angst, POV Henry, Pining, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:55:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28401282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/failing_at_fangirling/pseuds/failing_at_fangirling
Summary: Pez helps Henry prepare for Philip and Martha’s upcoming wedding featuring cognac, shared malaise, and the Thighmaster of love.
Relationships: Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor & Percy "Pez" Okonjo
Comments: 10
Kudos: 32





	Beautiful and Bright

“Twenty-one-year-old heartthrob Alex was snapped sneaking into the W Hotel to meet a mystery brunette in the presidential suite and leaving around four a.m.,” Henry reads from his phone. “Sources inside the hotel reported hearing amorous noises—” Henry cuts off, coughing. He takes a second to recover before he’s able to continue, “... reported hearing amourous noises from the room all night, and rumors are swirling the brunette was none other than Nora Holleran, the twenty-two-year-old granddaughter of Vice President Mike Holleran and third member of the White House Trio. Could it be the two are rekindling their romance?” Henry finishes reading, takes a deep sip of his Hennessy and moans, “Pez, what am I supposed to do? He’s coming here! With his bloody _girlfriend_ and you’re leaving me _stranded_.”

Pez responds with assurances about how Henry is going to be just fine, and everybody is going to be watching Phillip and Martha anyhow, and how he really wishes he could be there, but he can’t miss the Okonjo Foundation gala in Dubai, but Henry isn’t listening because he’s lost in Alex’s adorable chin dimple and the cut of Alex’s sharp jaw contrasting his soft hair that erupts in messy curls, all of which are visible in the paparazzi photo on Henry’s tiny phone screen. Henry doesn’t actually know that Alex’s hair is soft, but he has spent more time than he would admit to anyone, even Pez, thinking about it, and has concluded that he’s pretty sure the other boy's hair is indeed most likely very soft. Henry can’t see Alex’s eyelashes in the photo, but he thinks about them also, and he too easily remembers the way they curled magnificently above Alex’s bottomless brown eyes when he had gotten in Henry’s face during President Claremont’s first state visit to the UK and threatened to throw him into the Thames. Henry can’t remember now what had made Alex so mad then, but he remembers Alex’s eyelashes, and his voice, warm like the perfect cup of tea, but most of all Henry remembers the fire that he felt pouring out of Alex. He remembers—

“H? Are you even listening to me?” Pez interrupts, and Henry finally jerks his attention away from the phone. “I was just saying,” Pez starts again, “that you should know better than anyone that those tabloids are filthy liars.”

“Pez, I’m pretty sure this one is true,” he squeaks, “I mean, how could someone mistake, and I quote: ‘amorous noises’? But still, this American rag can run a story about him having sex, and even if it isn’t true, which I highly doubt because they definetely dated,” Henry has to pause to take a breath and then another sip of cognac, “this story is still out there and no one seems to care!” Henry slumps back on the mountain of pillows on his hideously ornate bed and tries to sort through the jealousy coiling tight in the pit of his stomach. He’s definitely jealous of Nora, that much is obvious to him, but he’s also jealous of Alex he supposes. He’s jealous of Alex because Alex is happy dating women, Alex is free to tweet his thoughts on pop culture and current events, and Alex fills the world with his brightness so easily, unlike Henry who is yoked by the weight of the monarchy.

Henry feels guilty for supporting the celebrity gossip mill, but he can’t help himself when it comes to Alex. Since coming home from the Rio Olympics in 2016, Henry has read every article and watched every interview and speech he could find. He can’t afford to let Alex into his life, not really, so this is all he lets himself have. In the safety of his bedroom, Henry has these bits and pieces, and then outside he carries on being His Royal Highness, Prince Henry of Wales, heir to the crown of England, while Alex makes passionate speeches and smiles confidently in photos, ever the perfect national figurehead.

It will be better now that Philip and Martha are getting married. Surely they will have children in a few years, and Henry won’t be under so much pressure. At one point, after Henry worked his way through news about the Claremont administration, puff pieces in _People_ about the White House Trio, and so many campaign speeches, Henry found a video of Alex’s high school valedictorian speech on YouTube. In the video, an 18-year-old Alex weaved together his hopes for the future—for university, for his classmates, and for his country. That video made Henry envious of Alex too, but not because of Alex’s accomplishments; Henry isn’t jealous of that, he has plenty of polo trophies and a whole Oxford degree to show for himself, but it hurts to see this beautiful man so free and full of life when Henry knows he could never have that himself. Alex is beautiful and bright like a fire and that is what draws Henry to him. But just like a fire, Alex is also terrifying, so Henry resolves himself to stay far away this weekend and to feel Alex’s warmth from a safe distance.

“Just avoid him all night, and as long as you don’t cause an international incident, you’ll be fine.” Pez tries again to assuage Henry’s fears, but now with a tint of humor in his voice.

“I mean yes, that is my plan, but he always finds me, and just _ugh_!” Henry exclaims, throwing himself deeper into the pillows. Pez giggles and drinks from his own glass. “Well, darling, while you’re busy hiding from your, and thousands of American tween girls’, crush, maybe you can get his gorgeous sister’s phone number for me?” Henry looks at Pez and rolls his eyes, but secretly he’s glad to be off the subject of Alex, even if they can’t stray from talking about the captivating Claremont-Diaz siblings. “Or give her my number! Just feel it out.” Henry reaches behind himself to grab a pillow, which he throws at Pez who is sitting sideways in a chair by the window, legs thrown over the armrest. “What?” Pez protests, “she’s ethereal!”

“Can’t you just slide into her DMs or something?” Henry asks.

“I could, but she probably doesn’t even know who I am,” Pez sighs, “so she might never open it, and then our love would tragically fade away into the air, never to see the light of day. I need you to introduce us.”

“Pez, I hardly know her! We’ve had, like, two conversations.”

“Well, then now is the perfect opportunity for a third. Please,” Pez begs, stretching out the word, “for your Auntie Pezza”.

Henry would really like to stop thinking about all of the cameras and people, Alex Claremont-Diaz especially, that he’s going to have to face this weekend, so he throws his hands up in defeat and agrees.

Before Henry can fall further into his pit of worry about his brother’s wedding, Pez suggests they watch _Pride and Prejudice_ again, and pours them both another drink before coming to sit next to Henry on the bed.

“Everything will work out in the end, darling” Pez says, patting Henry’s thigh.

**Author's Note:**

> Text from the article in the first paragraph is directly from the book, so not mine. Thank you for reading!


End file.
